


We Have L'Manburg Back

by etherealstar



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood and Injury, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Deviates From Canon, Diary/Journal, Dream Smp, Friendship, Gen, Ghostbur, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lmanburg, Mentioned Dave | Technoblade, Minecraft, Nihachu (Video Blogging RPF) - Freeform, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Pogtopia, Post DreamSMP War, Roleplay, Sad, eret was there as well lolll, fundy phil tommy barely had lines, mcyt - Freeform, minecraft youtubers - Freeform, writing this made me depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27647752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealstar/pseuds/etherealstar
Summary: What it would be like if Niki had written a diary entree after the dream smp revolutionary  war where they've regained L'Manburg. She navigates through the struggles in accepting her new reality, meeting an old friend along the way.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	We Have L'Manburg Back

**Author's Note:**

> this is one of first times i've written in diary entree context,, so bare with me, i tried to make it realistic! anyways enjoy

11/17/20

Dear Friend, 

It’s been a day since the explosion of L'Manburg, my beloved nation.

I still can’t fully process what happened on that late afternoon. The moment L'Manburg began to be blown into smithereens, everything changed for chaos's benefit. The first round of TNT caused enough fear for me to run down a small hill and stumble towards the graves. In that moment, my body froze as I watched my only ever definition of home being stripped away, right in front of my very eyes. Despite this new feeling of dread beginning to creep up onto me in this newfound, desolate landscape, the universe still felt that it wasn’t enough for me to face that day. For all of us.

The initial battle marching towards enemy lines created an adrenaline rush I don’t think I’ve ever felt before. We all were provided with arguably the highest amount of protection and resources, so I knew in my heart that we were going to win, and we did. We ended up taking L'Manburg back with the addition of Schlatt passing away from a heart attack, serves him right. I have no remorse for his actions and how he treated me during Wilbur and Tommy's banishment, nor his loss of presidency, now rightfully belonging to Tubbo. Hearing this news made me overflow with excitement, I continue to be happy for him. It felt like a new bright day for our nation.

I was yet to realize that that day would bring more than what meets the eye. 

The explosion changed everything in an instant. I continued to stay in my state of shock, while the next experiences felt like moments of happiness quickly being taken from my grasp. Everyone gathered around to observe Techno displaying withers that were seconds from spawning. I tried to convince him, but he wasn’t going to listen to any of us. I don’t even remember which events came before or after, It was all a blur. All I remember next was being hit by the withers wrath as I was trying to shoot it down with my bow and arrow. We were all trying our very best to kill those damn creatures that were causing even more destruction to our land, and with one final blow, we slayed them through fresh battle wounds. 

Once we all got a breath of fresh air, we all regrouped around the LmanTree, the tree that has existed here since the beginning of the land itself. It was the only landmark that we protected from the possible blast with obsidian, it's far too much of a symbol for us to let it become like the other dry remendents. Some of us resting our bodies against the tree, others sitting on the top of the obsidian letting their legs dangle, Tubbo as his first decree reassured us that we can rebuild Lmanburg from the bottom to the top, and we can start over. Everyone began to celebrate while I only felt like a vessel of pain putting on a poker face. My feelings only continued when I took a walk to look out on the destruction, Techno eyes facing mine while he was detiniating more TNT. All I could do was stare into his eyes with true resentment.

Everyone began to settle down while it was as if I was a ghost watching everyone continue to interact with one another like nothing happened. It’s not even the fact I felt ignored, it’s more that I felt like an outsider looking from the inside. Everyone was welcoming Phil into the community with bright smiles, and while I welcomed him as well, mentally, I wasn’t over the events that occured moments before. I was too caught up in my own thoughts, trying to process everything and- Truthfully, I was wondering where the hell Wilbur was.  _ Will _ .

Fundy put his hand on my shoulder, asking me if I was alright. I barely responded to him, let alone looked at him in the eyes. My old running mate … My friend. At times I feel I can’t trust him, but he’ll always mean a lot to me. Fundy could understand my soul, however, not as well as _ he _ could. 

He repeated himself with the, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I deflected Fundy’s question on purpose and asked where Will was.

He took his hand off my shoulder and leaned back. He responded, “Uhh, I don’t know.” He began to look around, analysing the area like he does, as if it would accomplish anything.

I could feel the anxiety begin to rise in my body as there continued to be no response. Cough, shuffling armor, feet kicking the ground, cough, the little blow of wind, none of these reactions were enough. I cleared my throat to gather some attention, which allowed most of them to glance my way and allowed me to ask the group of Wilbur’s whereabouts. 

I saw Tubbo and Quackity look at each other with expressions of confusion, while I could tell Eret was beginning to self contemplate. Tommy looked upset, like he didn’t want to express something to me.

I questioned Tommy, raising my voice slightly. He still wouldn’t open his mouth until he looked at Phil, for some kind of signal. Phil nodded. Tommy sighed. I didn’t know what was going on. 

There was an air of silence before he spoke, “Niki... he’s dead.” 

I was confused. It was merely a moment before I spoke once again, “Dead?” I chuckled nervously, “Just one of his lives, right? He can respawn! Why do you sound so sad... Tommy…”

“He was slain, I saw it with my own eyes…” There was a pause in his words until he spoke again, “It was his last one… I’m sorry Niki.”

Everyone was in immediate silence, perhaps as an indirect sign of mourning. In that short moment I still couldn’t believe it. I used everything in my capability to keep pretending I didn’t understand what Tommy meant, even though I did. When I tried to escape this inevitable reality, I turned to look at Phil who got up and exposed the huge blood stain on his clothes. I froze in place as he began to kneel and take out his glowing diamond sword covered in blood, placing it on the dry grass.

“I’m sorry Niki,” Phil said solemnly, “Truly.”

I remembered the desolate land that existed behind me, how my home was taken away from me, and now Phil had taken Wilbur away as well. I couldn’t look behind or beside me, I could only look directly at him. Tears immediately flowed down my face and my body began to feel numb. The harder I laughed, the more blurry my vision, the more violent my sobs became. I only heard Fundy call out my name as I fell to the ground.

My wailing as loud as possible, all I could ask for now is this: whatever higher power, or whatever being out there exists, all I can hope for is that they heard my cries. 

  
  


Today, the rebuilding of L'Manburg has begun. Fundy, Tubbo and Quackity worked on blocking the water from flowing further down the crater, including the beginning of new homes. I haven’t been to the house Fundy made, but it looks nicely structured from a distance. I heard we all get our own plots to build our houses on, which is exciting. I have my own bakery, but it's on the outskirts of L'Manburg, so it would be nice to have an actual home again. It would be nice.

During the late afternoon, I was alone sitting on the newly created walkway connecting the existing houses together playing my guitar. The walkway is over the crater enough that my legs dangled, but not fatal enough if I were to jump down. I looked out onto the deep end of the crater, only playing certain tunes over and over. My hands guided me through different notes and melodies, making the space seem more alive. I realize that around this time 24 hours ago was when all the chaos ensued. The contrast is interesting, considering the fact I was playing peaceful tunes, accompanied by a slight, but nice wind chill blowing strands of hair onto my face. 

I pondered for a moment, then decided to play our Lmanburg theme, hoping I could spark some light within me. I let my fingers tell the story of my friends and I communing inside those tall, strong walls. The notes were replaying those warm nights around the fireplace gathered around with our uniforms, the melody telling our stories of continuous victory. A sanctuary so proud, we will never fall.

“I heard there was a special place-”

I could only sing the first line of our anthem, because at the same time I began I looked up and saw a mysterious figure look at me, but quickly run and disappear in the distance. I loosely continued to strum the notes while my shock silenced me, causing me to squint my eyes and try to process who that was. I couldn’t see very clearly, only that the figure looked like it resembled a man and was tall … he was definitely tall. There was a noticeable amount of skin showing, so I could only assume he wasn’t wearing a jacket or something. I felt bad because it was chilly at the time, maybe he felt cold...

“Niki!”

I hear Tubbos voice call out to me in an excited tone. I turn my head above towards my right, now distracted from my thoughts to see him by those stairs leading to one of Tommy's original houses and the bench. I smile and wave at him while still holding the guitar. I call out to him with a louder voice, “How are you Tubbo?!”

“I’m doing good!” He yells back while cupping both his hands to his mouth, as if it would make his voice louder like a loudspeaker, saying “Our rebuilding is going splendid so far!”

I laughed at his word usage, thinking about how of course he would use that word, “splendid,” but also just the fact that it’s Tubbo i’m speaking with, and how it’s always- well, mostly a delight. I called him a President just to see how he would react. I could hear his laughter with a slight tint of nervousness.

I thought I would try to make the conversation more light-hearted by adding a sense of tease in my voice, “My apologies, I mean, you are our president now.”

Tubbo spoke through his continued laughter, “You are correct about that, it was just something unexpected you know?” I nodded in understanding. 

“Niki, would you like to come to the stairs so we don’t have to waste our voices away?” He called out again.

I remember yelling back in agreement as I placed the guitar down, lifting myself up on my feet. I jogged to meet him at the stairs. We sat down next to each other when he asked about my guitar he saw me have. I told him I left it over there and nodded towards that direction. 

“Aww you could have played me some tunes!” He chuckled. I thought I would ask if I should go get it for him, I didn’t feel like disappointing anybody today. He told me not to worry about it, and started explaining how cool it was that I play the guitar like Wilbur did. 

My smile slightly faded once he mentioned his name. I responded solemnly, “Yeah, he did. He was good at it too.” 

“Yeah … It’s been a while since I heard him playing…” Tubbo pondered, “I think it was newfound Lmanburg? When we were all together before the election-”

Tubbo suddenly paused on his words. I think he began to notice my change in expression and tone, and how I was distant from the conversation. He apologized, immediately sounding guilty. 

I sighed while telling him it’s alright. I realized that I was basically lying to him, which I didn’t want to do, so I continued, “It’s just … I’m not over it, honestly. Over his… just give me some time okay?”

There was a slight air of silence when suddenly, I sighed even deeper, “I just remembered something. I got a new fox pet, from uh … from Wilbur. It’s at Pogtopia, I haven’t taken it back yet.” I said.

“Aw, adorable. What’s its name?” He asked, all perked up.

“I haven’t named it yet. I don’t know if I will.” I remember saying it with a sour tone. He didn’t really know how to respond to that, I could tell.

“Sorry, I might.” I was starting to choke up on my words, “It’s just sad.. The foxy reminds me of Fungi... You know…”

“Oh… right… That was nice of Wilbur to get you a new friend though.” He was trying his best to reassure me, and I thank him for that.

“Yeah,” I smiled slightly, “You’re right, it was.”

After that, we stayed in silence for a bit, and then he continued to talk about his new plans for the country, how Fundy and Quackity were messing around a lot, mostly Quackity, but that Fundy’s building was a nice addition. I listened for most of the time and giggled at his presidential complaints, as there was nothing I could really talk about, well… nothing I wanted to talk about, anyway.

I laid my guitar on the outside wall of my bakery, looking out on the ocean and dock. Near the dock was also where we were all discussing who was on our side, not that it mattered in the end. I reluctantly crafted a boat, knowing that I would have to row over there and walk through the forest to get to Pogtopia. I did it anyway, breaking the dirt that covered our hiding place once I got there. I began to wonder how Wilbur and Tommy felt, having to fully hide here during their banishment, only receiving a small glimpse of it. I remember getting a letter from Wilbur, saying how much he knows I hated being in that place, and that he would come for me one day. 

The place was still ridden with buttons, reminding me about how Wilbur mentioned his plans to blow up L'Manburg. At the time I remember laughing it off like it was bluff. I realized the possibility… I shook it off my mind walking down those long stairs. I also remember muttering to myself about how cold and empty down here felt, and I still don’t miss it.

The fox was there and well, eating on the remains of the golden apple that it was given. It was still attached to the lead, so it couldn’t really go anywhere. It made a sound as it noticed my appearance, most likely the first human it’s seen in a day. I walked over to it and untied the lead from the fence post and held on tight, making sure it wouldn’t run away from my grasp. It looked up at me with those wide, adorable eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. It was almost as if I had my old friend back. I said, “Let's get you home,” with a soft giggle. 

When I came back to the bakery it was close to dusk as I tied the fox on a fence I placed down, promising it that it will get a real home soon. I ran into my bakery and grabbed a cookie that was leftover, laying it on the floor for the fox. It quickly grabbed onto it with his mouth and started to gobble away. I just took a moment to smile and watch it eat the cookie, hearing the water lightly crash in the distance. Looking around, I was reminded again how even though the sun was going to set, I could always look to find peace in these beautiful moments. 

I didn’t know where to sleep, so I walked back towards L'Manburg and brought this diary with me heading towards the LmanTree. I had been walking around scouted areas practically all day long. My legs were tired so I laid down to rest on the ground. I noticed somebody had gathered up the obsidian, so now it looked like a normal tree but once again, it was special, there since the beginning. I thought about how nice it would be to hang out with everyone there like the old days, to have a loving conversation with baked goods and treats, having fun without a care in the world. It’s just us, telling stories and exchanging laughs, how nice it would be-

Then, my eyes caught a figure moving slightly from behind the tree. I used my arms to lift myself back up on my feet, hoping I could get a better view of what I was seeing. The figure was hiding behind the tree well enough that I couldn’t see its face. I then processed the fact that this may be the same pre-assumed guy I saw earlier that day. My anxiousness raised questions within me, such as who exactly was this person, and why was he hiding from me? I was nervously fidgeting around with my hands, making sure my diary was still in my pocket, I didn’t know what to do next, but we couldn’t stay like this forever.

“Hello?” I called out to him. His continued lack of movement actually started to make me angry. I was about to just say screw all and walk away, however, something about this was peculiar, I didn’t feel it was right to leave him against the tree like this. 

“I’m about to leave if you don’t answer me- who are you?” I was stuttering on my words. I took a deep breath and tried to realign my thoughts again and said, “I’m sorry, but you’re scaring me, I just want to know what you want from me.”

Once he placed his hand on a more visible part of the tree, my heart skipped a beat. It looked so… lifeless. From what I could see it was as if he wasn’t human, even though it was obviously a human hand. It looked strangely familiar, that’s for sure. I couldn’t speak any more words, I just had to let him reveal himself to me, hopefully, I wouldn’t get hurt, and that I’ll be okay.

He stepped out from his hiding place, and that was the very moment my heart felt like it stopped, like time itself broke its own law and paused in an instant, 

_ Will…? _

My jaw practically dropped to the floor, never in a million years would I think I would be able to see him again… as if he were alive, but .. He wasn’t. All of his skin was void of any life that exists, to the point where it seemed to exude a tint of green. The gray under his eyes were too obvious to bear, like he hadn’t slept in eons, his eyes itself being an empty void of nothingness. He was wearing the same exact clothes from yesterday, all dirty and covered in rumble, assuming he was at the brunt of the explosion. I would assume there would be a gaping wound through his stomach, but in that moment all I could process was his expression and the fact that he seemed tired, so tired.

I stood there in complete and utter shock for what felt like a long time of him just looking back at me. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, just to see him continue to stand a few feet away from me. None of this felt any remotely close to being real. My eyes continue to widen at this unexplainable, yet incredible sight. I put a huge grin on my face, and I swear my eyes were filling up with tears. I took only a few steps toward him, but not enough to be in normal speaking range, I was holding back for some reason. _ I knew who he was, I know him!! _

“Will!” I called out with true happiness for what felt like the first time in a while. I continued with something along the lines of, “You- you’re here?? I- I can’t believe it, I mean how are you here? Wilbur-”

He used his arm to reach down as if to grab something out of a pocket. It was a small white paper of some sort, definitely small enough you could have held within your fist. 

He stared at it intently with a confused expression on his face. It was as if he forgot the words the paper contained, or moreso why it was so important for him to keep. He looked up at me, then back down at the paper. In that moment, he looked as though he had a realization, smiling ever so slightly. 

The silence wasn’t holding me back anymore, I just wanted to speak with him again. I thought, what better opportunity then now?

“It’s me, Niki! You remember right? You remember the war for L'Manburg? Our home?” The more I spoke, the more tears that were flowing down my face.

He didn’t respond, his smile fading away.

“I missed you! I missed you so much Will- come back to L'Manburg with me, we’re rebuilding and we all miss you so much,” I turned my head behind me only for a second to call out to the others, wherever they may have been, “Fundy, Tubbo, Eret! Look, Will’s here-” 

As soon as I turned my head back around, he was gone. I was very confused, leaning my head side to side trying to see if he was behind the tree again. I ran to the tree and quickly checked behind the trunk- nobody. He wasn’t anywhere around the tree, he wasn’t hiding behind anything else, he just disappeared into thin air. Just like that, gone.

“Will?” I cried out, circling around the tree. I imagined I looked insane, calling out for him when he’s dead, I didn’t give a damn…  _ he was there!  _ I saw him with my own two eyes,  _ he was… _

I wiped my tears away to see a folded piece of paper lying on the ground. I got on my knees and took a moment to hold the paper in my hands.  _ This must have been what Wilbur grabbed out of his pocket, _ I thought. What really got me was the fact the front fold had the words, “For Niki” written in black pen. I took a deep breath, in and out, trying my best not to cry anymore. 

Then, I opened it.

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at the edge of the dock near my bakery with the sun only peeking out from the ocean's vast landscape, the windchill becoming more prevalent. I can see fishes swim through my reflection, and my pen is about to run out of ink. There’s only so much time before it becomes completely dark, but it continues to be very peaceful nevertheless. I can only pray for more days to do this often, especially after everything has calmed down, and we can all have a fresh start. I can only pray I have more time, as I will never know for certain how much I have. For however much I have left, I’m going to try my very best to spend it well. 

It’s all we’ll ever be able to do, my friend. 

Signed, Niki.

Wilbur’s Note:

_ You don’t have to be sad anymore, I will always come back for you.  _


End file.
